Love you too, Ween.
Where I'm from, animals just belong outside. Period. That's how we were raised, unless you have some small, useless dog or declawed cat. Or a lizard or something.
Anyway, I think of my cat as my own child, I love him to death - but he goes outside if I need him to, or if he wants to. Chester kills birds, squirrels, moles, and even rabbits, and brings them to me or drops them on the doormat with pride. That's his nature, it's in his blood - even though he's "domesticated." As much as I love birds, I can't be upset with him for being what nature intended him to be, which is an awesome predator. And yes, he's gotten into his fair share of fights. But, think of it as sending your kid off to school - you can't keep them out of trouble when they're there. Can't keep an eye on them 24/7.
Keeping him cooped up in a house just seems cruel, in my opinion. Chester's been living like this for 13 years now, so I guess both he and I are doing something right!